


Sweater Weather

by Spooky_Spooks



Category: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs
Genre: Cuddles, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Pre-Canon, Pre-Relationship, Thunderstorms, Walking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:14:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26076274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spooky_Spooks/pseuds/Spooky_Spooks
Summary: “Don’t worry about it,” Victor told him, slinging an arm over Millard’s shoulders as they resumed walking. “I probably shouldn’t have been so forward.”The two fell into silence once again, though this time Millard found himself lost in his thoughts. What did Victor mean when he claimed he had been to forward? Forward about what? Wasn’t that something reserved for romance?
Relationships: Millard Nullings/Victor Bruntley
Comments: 8
Kudos: 19





	Sweater Weather

Millard was watching the pigs. Although Hugh made fun of him for it, he thought it was important work. While Millard understood why the others thought him spending years watching pigs was pointless and silly, he did wish that just once someone would want to listen to him or even sit with him while he watched. It was easy to disappear when your friends found your interests boring, and even more so when you were invisible and often alone. Just as he was beginning to lose himself in those thoughts, he heard the footsteps of someone walking up behind him. 

“Hey,” Victor greeted when Millard turned around to see who was coming. “Mind if I join you? It seems a bit lonely out here.”

“Of course, if you’d like too,” Millard replied, his heart warmed by the gesture. “How did you know I was here?”

“You’ve been watching these pigs for almost three years,” Victor laughed. “Well, that and your notebook was here.” 

The sound of his laugh made butterflies flutter in Millard’s stomach, and he gave a nervous chuckle. “I suppose that should have been obvious.”

“It’s alright, you’ve been focused on your research,” Victor smiled, nudging Millard with an elbow as he sat down next to him. 

“You don’t have to pretend to be interested,” Millard told him, idly picking at the edge of a page and not looking at Victor. “I know it’s terribly dull.”

“Millard, I’m not pretending,” came the reply, a note of concern in his voice. “You know academics have never really been my thing, but I like listening to you talk about it.”

Millard was glad for his invisibility as he felt his cheeks redden. “You do?”

“Yeah, the way you talk about things you’re interested in is wonderful!” Victor told him, attempting to make eye contact with Millard. “You get so excited about it; it makes me want to listen.”

“Oh,” Millard found himself at a loss for words. No one had claimed to be interested in his work before.

Victor rubbed the back of his neck with a nervous chuckle. “Sorry, I should let you take your notes, that’s what you came here for after all.”

Millard had almost forgotten what he came there for. “Oh, yes. Thank you.”

The pair fell silent as Millard returned to taking notes, Victor quietly watching him. The two of them remained that way for a few hours, a comfortable silence stretching between them as the sun crept ever closer to the horizon. 

Victor stretched and let out a sigh. “We should start heading back soon, the Bird’ll have our heads if we’re not back before dark.”

Millard looked up from his notes, shocked to see how close to the horizon the sun had gotten. “Yes, we should go. I didn’t mean to stay out so long.”

Millard gathered his things, waving away Victor’s attempts to help to claim he had a precise organization in his bag that he didn’t want to ruin. Soon enough, they began the long walk back across the island to the loop they called home. The comfortable silence they had developed remained as they walked, though it was periodically broken by Millard giving a heavy sigh and adjusting the strap of his bag on his shoulder. 

“Is everything okay?” Victor asked after hearing Millard let out several heavy sighs.

“Yes, I’m alright,” Millard replied, adjusting the bag again. “My bag is just heavy from all the books, and it’s a long walk.”

“I can carry it for you,” Victor chuckled. “You don’t have to struggle so much.”

“You don’t have to go to such trouble for me,” Millard stated, his voice going quieter as the strap of his bag twisted in his invisible grip, revealing Millard’s nerves.

Victor raised an eyebrow at the boy in front of him. “Mill, I can lift more than four times my weight. Carrying your bag for you won’t kill me.”

“I know that,” Millard replied, slipping the bag from his shoulders and placing it in Victor’s waiting hands. “Thank you.”

Victor ruffled Millard’s hair and gave a chuckle. “You’re allowed to ask for help you know.”

“I know,” Millard answered, fixing his hair even though no one would see it.

The pair once again fell into their comfortable silence, continuing their walk home. Although he was no longer carrying his bag, Millard was beginning to grow tired with the long walk. Normally, he would stop for a few minutes at this point to catch his breath and give himself a rest (he was an academic, not an athlete after all), but Victor seemed unphased. Millard did his best to hide his exhaustion, not wanting to make Victor go out of his way for him yet again. However, eventually, he grew tired of walking.

“As much as I enjoy studying everything, sometimes I wish they weren’t so far away from the loop,” Millard confessed. 

Victor laughed. “I could carry you too, you know.”

Millard stopped walking and sputtered out a nervous sound. “E-excuse me?”

“Relax, I was joking,” Victor replied good-naturedly, giving a casual wave of the hand.

“Yes, of course,” Millard answered, shaking his head in an attempt to recover from his embarrassment. “Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Victor told him, slinging an arm over Millard’s shoulders as they resumed walking. “I probably shouldn’t have been so forward.”

The two fell into silence once again, though this time Millard found himself lost in his thoughts.  _ What did Victor mean when he claimed he had been to forward? Forward about what? Wasn’t that something reserved for romance? _

Millard hadn’t realized how long he had been lost in thought until Victor broke the pair’s silence.

“Hey, Mill, you slowed down quite a bit. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Oh, yes, I’m fine,” Millard replied, quickly trying to draw himself from his thoughts. “I’m just a bit tired.”

“My offer still stands,” Victor told him. “Or we could take a break if you need it. I don’t mind.”

Millard struggled to formulate a response, as Victor’s words had flustered him. “I, um -”

Millard’s response was cut off by a loud peal of thunder, whose sudden appearance startled both of the boys. Just as they were beginning to laugh at the absurdity of being startled so easily, it began to rain heavily, drenching the pair almost instantly.

“Well, I suppose that settles it,” Victor grinned.

“Settles what?” Millard began to ask, only to be interrupted by Victor picking him up and draping him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. “Victor! What are you doing?”

“Carrying you,” Victor laughed as he resumed walking, a little more quickly now. “You said you were tired, and I didn’t think you’d want to rest in the rain.”

“I suppose this is the fastest way home,” Millard admitted, allowing himself to be carried and thanking his invisibility for hiding his now rather heavy blush.

Victor only laughed in agreement before beginning to jog home, hoping to get them home without being to wet. Within a few minutes, the pair were in the entryway to the home, dripping rainwater onto the carpet. Victor put Millard down with a kind smile.

“Thank you,” Millard told him quietly, his cheeks feeling as though they were on fire.

“No problem,” Victor grinned, then began to walk up the stairs towards the bedrooms. “You should probably dry off and put on something warm. We wouldn’t want you to catch a cold now.”

If Millard’s blush could get any more intense it would have.  _ Had Victor just winked at him? _

Shaking his head to clear it of those thoughts, before following Victor up the stairs and going their separate ways to get changed. Millard dried himself quickly and dressed in a pair of warm, flannel pajamas. He decided then to organize the notes he had taken that day, only to realize that Victor still had his book bag. With a sigh, Millard walked to the end of the hall where Victor’s room was and raised his arm to knock, only to have the door open before he had the chance.

“Oh, hey Mill,” Victor greeted, surprised to find Millard at his door. “I was just about to bring your bag back.”

“Thank you,” Millard replied, reaching out to take the bag, only to have Victor flinch back when their skin touched. “What is it?”

“Sorry, your hands are just very cold,” Victor told him before stepping aside and opening the door wider in an invitation. “Here, come in, I’ll get you a jumper.”

Millard stepped into the room and moved to sit on the large windowsill as Victor retreated to the closet. A few moments later, Victor returned to Millard with a think woolen jumper in his hands.

“It’ll be a bit big on you, but it’ll be warm at least,” Victor informed him, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand as Millard pulled on the jumper.

True to his word, the jumper was big on Millard. While they were roughly the same height, Millard was quite lanky where Victor was more filled out. 

“Thanks,” Millard replied quietly.

The two stood in silence for a moment before Victor broke the silence once again. “Are you still cold?”

“A little,” Millard admitted, pulling his hands into the sleeves of the jumper.

Victor seemed to think for a moment before sitting on the windowsill next to Millard and opening his arms to the boy with a smile. “Here, I’ll share my body heat with you. We can watch the thunderstorm together.”

Millard felt himself blush heavily, and once again thanked his invisibility for hiding it. Against his own better judgment he found himself agreeing and leaning into Victor’s open arms. Victor pulled him in closer and held him tightly to his chest as the pair turned to watch the storm outside.

“Is this okay?” Victor asked quietly after a few moments, looking down as if trying to make eye contact with Millard.

“Yes, this is quite nice,” Millard confessed, allowing himself to cuddle closer to Victor. “I like it.”

Victor chuckled. “Good, me too.” 

**Author's Note:**

> I know the weather can't change in a loop because it's the same day over and over but I can bend cannon a little to make a cute fic, okay?


End file.
